Recent reviews by Van Damage

I just binged through the Gothic series for the first time and felt compelled to write a review. I just uninstalled the game not long before writing this and I will explain why. This is going to be a mostly negative review but I'm recommending this game simply because it is a solid open-world RPG that is VERY rough around the edges. It has plenty of charm and the world design is on point. Like the previous Gothic games, you go from zero to hero and your actions have an actual impact on the world. For example, most enemies don't respawn so every beast you kill makes the roads safer for travelers. There is also a reputation system and different factions you can join. Your decisions will effect how they feel about you.

When I first started playing I got sucked in just like I did with the first two games. There are a ton of quests in this game. It got to the point where I was begging the game to stop throwing quests at me. Quest design is one the series strong points in my opinion and it initially shows in Gothic 3....but later the honeymoon wears off and you realized you're doing to same thing over and over; fetch quest after fetch quest, kill this guy, kill those beasts, clear out that cave, talk to this guy, etc. This all sounds like typical RPG stuff right? Well that's pretty much most of the game because the main quest severely lacking. Each town has their own 'quest line' and they're almost identical. Aside from a few unique side quests they all lead to liberation or destruction of rebel camps. This is one of the reasons I stopped playing. I stopped caring. The story and the quests just weren't enough to keep me interested. Sadly many other open-world games like 'Far Cry' and Fallout 4 are guilty of this.

The combat...I could probably write a 10-page essay on how bad the combat in this game is. I mean it's almost ruin the game bad. Even with the community patch it's atrocious. I can appreciate what Piranha Bytes was trying to do. They were trying to do what later games like Dark Souls and Kingdom Come: Deliverance did much better; tactical swordplay. You can't just mindlessly hack and slash. You have to know when to block and strike....though now that I think about it there are times in Gothic 3 where you could spam the attack button and succeed in battle. Other times it was a death sentence. The combat is terribly inconsistent and off-balance. A couple of Orcs? No problem! A couple of wolfs? RUN! After many hours of gameplay and even after I got stronger the combat was still frustrating. You have a stamina bar but your enemies seem to have infinite stamina seeing as they can block anything as long as they're in guard stance. The hitboxes are a joke and the targeting pretty doesn't work. Get ready to accidently
strike your allies over and over!

Gothic 3 is the only Gothic game I couldn't finish. It's definitely worth checking out especially if you're into old-school "hardcore" RPGs but not really worth finishing. I'm glad I gave the series a shot but disappointed that I didn't dedicate those 80 hours into a better game or something more productive.

If you've read other reviews for this game chances are you've been warned about the plethora of bugs and glitches that plague this game. Well just to let you know right off the bat, it's true. This game has it's issues though they are getting better. The next patch (1.5) is taking longer than expected but I really believe that Warhorse wants to be thorough with their next patches. Despite the problems I am recommending this game because it really is a unique and fresh experience. But if patience is one of your virtues, you might want to hold off until after the fixes or during a sale.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance strays from the popular fantasy/sci-fi settings of other RPGs and instead offers a world of historical fiction and realism. In Bohemia there are no dragons or wizards. You are not a divine hero destined to save the world. You are Henry, the son of a blacksmith and commoner. Unfortunately you don't create your own character but he is your Henry and your decisions will affect the world around you. The game does do a good job making you feel like peasant scum, especially in early game. Your clothes and appearance affect how others treat you.

The realism for the most part, doesn't spoil the gameplay. If you're worried the game's realism might a little too hardcore for you, fret not. Food and beds are readily available and there are troughs on every corner if you need a quick bath. Exploration might be difficult in the early game since you are poor and ill-equipped but the more you stick with it the easier it will be later on. The skill progession works a lot like the Elder Scrolls games in that the more you use a skill the higher the proficiency. This is especially true with combat. I think most people will hate the combat starting out but will gain some appreciation for it later. Combat is one of the most unique things about this game. Other RPGs seem to give you a combat advantage over NPCs right off the bat to ease you into it. Not KC:D. I got my ass handed to me countless times. It got to the point where I would try to avoid violent confrontation whenever possible. This game makes you work to become that medieval badass warrior you aspire to be and it pays off. The perks that you unlock as you increase your skill levels will make combat easier and more fun as you progress.

The world isn't really that big compared to other open-world games out there but in my opinion, it's as big as it needs to be. Almost every building has an interior and there's plenty landscape to marvel at. Sometimes I don't even bother with fast travel and just enjoy trotting along the Bohemian countryside. I love the scenery in this game. The forests look like real forests. You can hear birds chirping in the trees above you, the rustling of leaves and the gentle sound of a stream nearby. The game does an amazing job of giving you the impression of a pleasant summer afternoon in Bohemia.

The quests and storyline are...okay. The main questline is pretty much a big investigation with a few battles. Without spoiling it I will say that it ends on a cliffhanger that obviously sets up DLC or a sequel. And it's not the kind of cliffhanger you'd see at the end of a Marvel superhero movie, it's more like they flat-out didn't finish the game. There are multiple ways of completing quests but at it's current state, they are so riddled with bugs that you may not get the desired result. There was a point where I was too afraid to even progress the story out of fear of bugging the game. I could probably write a whole separate review on the monastary quest and how bad it is. That quest seriously almost made me unistall the game. However thanks to a few guides I was able to finish the main story. At times the quests did give me some Morrowind/Oblivion nostalgia but they were just plageued by too many bugs and some were just plain dull.

I would like to see more games like this. Could someone please make a game like this set in the 1830s American Frontier? Think about it, a realistic historical RPG with the setting of The Revanant and a touch of Oregon Trail. Make it a similar location to Far Cry 5 and I will play the ♥♥♥♥ out of it.

I'd say I'm a part of the concensus that says that while Dark Souls II: SotFS is the weakest in the series, it's still a masterpiece in its own right.

Needless to say, it's hard. Every game in the Soulsborne series is hard but still retains a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. That's all there in DSII but there are times where it starts to feel strenuous and your frustrations meter will rise and the fun meter will drop. In other words, this game can feel like a chore more than the other. I feel like some of the areas in this game had the cards stacked against you just for the sake of difficulty. Some of the zones were unimaginative and inflated with infinite poise enemies to mob you just to make it hard. This applies to many of the boss fights too. They definitley went for quantity of quality.

The good thing about DSII is that it starts out less linear. Some people didn't like this but those of you who played Demon's Souls on the PS3 may welcome this feature. If one zone is frustrating the hell out of you, don't worry. You can always warp out and explore another. On the downside, this can create some confusion on where to go next but this Dark Souls. You are both punished and rewarded for exploration.

While playing through DSII I missed the mysterious dreamlike atmosphere of the first game but in retrospect I appreciate the setting in this one just as much. I think this is the most dark and depressing Dark Souls yet and I mean that in a good way. Being hollow carries more weight as your health bar decreases each time you die. Hopelessness is in the air and I still gain much comfort when I see a new bonfire or when I return to the Emerald Herald to level up. The soundtrack is great and very fitting for some of the bosses and locations.

Some may call this game the bastard child of the series but I think it has a rightful place and deserves "Dark Souls" in the title. If you want to play through the Soulsborne games, don't skip this one.